Posts Tagged“noiret”

Whitecliff Vineyard NV Red Trail

People think that I hate hybrids — but that just isn’t true. There are hybrid grapes that I think are pretty awful generally — I’m looking at you seyval blanc and traminette. But at the end of the day, if a wine tastes good, I don’t care what grape it’s made from. This wine tastes good, even if it’s a four-grape blend that includes three hybrids that I haven’t enjoyed much in the past. Whitecliff Vineyard NV Red Trail ($14) is a blend of dechaunac, frontenac, noiret and merlot — and the result is a spicy, easy-drinking red. Fresh strawberry…

Ravines Wine Cellars 2010 Keuka Village Red

I’m not even going to ask, because I know that most of you have never heard of the Noiret grape. Developed by Cornell University, it’s one of the newer hybrids out there (it’s a cross between NY65.0467.08 and Steuben), having been released in 2006.  According to Cornell’s Bruce Reisch, wines made from Noiret “are free of the hybrid aromas typical of many other red hybrid grapes. The distinctive red wine is richly colored and has notes of green and black pepper, with raspberry and mint aromas, and a fine tannin structure.” It ripens mid-season too, which has mad it an increasingly popular…